Dantan I (community development block)

Dantan I
—  community development block  —
Dantan I Location of Dantan I in West Bengal and India
Coordinates	21°54′40″N 87°16′12″E / 21.911°N 87.270°E / 21.911; 87.270Coordinates: 21°54′40″N 87°16′12″E / 21.911°N 87.270°E / 21.911; 87.270
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Paschim Medinipur
Parliamentary constituency	Medinipur
Assembly constituency	Dantan, Keshiary
Population • Density	151,343 (2001[update]) • 600 /km2 (1,554 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area	252.16 square kilometres (97.36 sq mi)
Website	paschimmedinipur.gov.in/

Dantan I (community development block) (Bengali: দাঁতন I সমষ্টি উন্নয়ন ব্লক) is an administrative division in the Kharagpur subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Dantan police station serves this block. Headquarters of this block is at Dantan.^[1][2]

History

According to some, the name is derived from Dandabhukti, which was an ancient territorial unit of Gupta Empire.^[3]

Dantan, was later a part of Hijli Kingdom. It was a thriving town on the route to the Jagannath Temple in Puri when Chaitanya Mahaprabhu reportedly passed through here in the 16th century.

Dantan is the location of at least three temples from the nineteenth century, the Jagannath Temple, the Shyamaleswar Temple, and the Chandaneswar Temple. All three temples are built in the curvilinear rekha style that is common to temples of Orissa.

Near the town, there are two major tanks, the Bidyadhar and the Sarasankha. The Bidyadhar tank was created by a minister named Bidyadhara of Pratap Rudra Deva, king of Gajapati Kingdom. The Sarasankha tank is attributed to the king Shashanka who ruled in the seventh century A.D.

Geography

Dantan is located at 21°54′40″N 87°16′12″E / 21.911°N 87.270°E / 21.911; 87.270. The Subarnarekha River flows past the Dantan I block.

Dantan I community development block has an area of 252.16  km².^[2]

Weather

The climate in Dantan follows a hot-tropical monsoon pattern with highs in the mid 40s°C in the summer (generally April to June), mid 30s°C during the monsoon season (June to August) and low 30s°C for most of the other times of the year. Winters (December to January) are usually mild with lows in the 10s°C and high in the low to mid 20s°C. Most of the precipitation is from the southeast monsoon which may bring in excess of 1500 mm of rainfall.

Tornadoes are relatively rare in West Bengal and Bangladesh, but one did occur on March 24, 1998 killing over 250 near Dantan. ^[4]Initially, this tornado was reported as a cyclone with wind speeds of close to 200 km/h that caused the destruction of an estimated 9,000 houses and injuries to 3,000 people. ^[5]Later the event was characterized as a tornado. ^[6]

Gram panchayats

Gram panchayats of Dantan I block/ panchayat samiti are: Alikosha, Angur, Anikola, Chakismailpur, Dantan I, Dantan II, Monoharpur, Salikotha and Tararui.^[7]

Demographics

As per 2001 census, Dantan I block had a total population of 151,343, out of which 77,291 were males and 74,052 were females. Dantan I block registered a population growth of 19.41 per cent during the 1991-2001 decade. Decadal growth for the combined Midnapore district was 14.87 per cent.^[2]Decadal growth in West Bengal was 17.45 per cent.^[8]

Transportation

Dantan is connected by road from Kharagpur via Belda and from Orissa through Sonakonia. It is on NH 60. Dantan rail station is between Kharagpur and Balasore in the Kharagpur Division of the South-Eastern Railway. ---Famous People--- 1. Swapan Kumar Sahoo-Fight for the cause of SC/ST and OBC's

Education

College

• Dantan Bhattar College affiliated to Vidyasagar University

Schools

• Dantan High School
• Dantan Binapani Girl's School
• Dantan Shishu Siksha Mandir
• School Melvin
• Dantan Bhagbat Charan High School

References

1. ^ "Contact details of Block Development Officers". Paschim Medinipur district. West Bengal Government. http://wbprd.gov.in/html/asp/bdo_contact.asp?cd=ED. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Provisional population totals, West Bengal, Table 4, (erstwhile) Medinipur District". Census of India 2001. Census Commission of India. http://web.cmc.net.in/wbcensus/DataTables/02/Table4_15.htm. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
3. ^ Ray, Nihar Ranjan, Bangalir Itihas Adi Parba, (in Bengali), 1980 edition, p. 388, Paschim Banga Niraksharata Durikaran Samiti
4. ^ "Tornados in Bangladesh and East India". http://www.bangladeshtornadoes.org/climo/btorcli0.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-16. 
5. ^ "175 die in Bengal cyclone, thousands homeless". Rediff on the Net. http://ia.rediff.com/news/1998/mar/25cycl.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-16. 
6. ^ "Tornado toll claims 83 lives in Bengal". Rediff on the Net. http://ia.rediff.com/news/1998/mar/25storm1.htm. Retrieved 2011-07-16. 
7. ^ "Allocation of 3rd SFC (untied) Fund". Paschim Medinipur district. Government of West Bengal - Department of Panchayats & Rural Development. http://zpmidwest.org/allotments%5C3rd-SFC-Allot-Guide.pdf. Retrieved 2011-04-10. 
8. ^ "Provisional Population Totals, West Bengal. Table 4". Census of India 2001, Medinipur district. Census Commission of India. http://web.cmc.net.in/wbcensus/DataTables/02/FrameTable4_1.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-20.